Role of serotonin transporter gene in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder due to the involvement of several genes. Schizophrenia is mainly due to the abnormal brain function. This abnormalities is mainly involved in the transferring and processing of information’s in the brain. Nerve cells in the brain communicate with each other by releasing chemicals from the nerve endings. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters. Many of the symptoms of Schizophrenia have been linked to the abnormal activity of particular neurotransmitters. Serotonin is a type of neurotransmitter that have a major role in Schizophrenia. Serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4)is one of the most promising candidate gene in the psychiatric disorder, Schizophrenia. Serotonin transporter gene encodes an integral membrane protein that transports the neurotransmitter serotonin from synaptic spaces into presynaptic neurons. The encoded protein terminates the action of serotonin and recycles in a sodium dependent manner. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promoter of this gene has been shown to affect the rate of serotonin uptake and then cause the abnormal brain function.In the study the investigation is mainly based on the potential influence of the SLC6A4 gene on the psychopathology of Schizophrenia due to the SNPs in SLC6A4 gene. From the data’s obtained from sequence analysis, there were clearly observed the SNPs of SLC6A4 gene. These sequence analyzeddata’s were then subjected to the statistical analysis for further clarification of the results. Data’s obtained from the statistical analysis it is significantly observed the role of serotonin transporter gene in the most distressing and disabling mental disorder,Schizophrenia.